Cornbread-Sage Dressing Serves 8
Before Europeans introduced wheat to the New World, most tribes used cornmeal as a major bread-making ingredient. This recipe calls for the addition of flour and leavenings to the cornmeal, which results in a lighter version of this Native American bread.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes – 20 minutes for finished dressing
For the cornbread:
1 cup organic, stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 cup fire-roasted corn kernels
2 tablespoons canola oil
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 ribs of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 tablespoons poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, corn and canola oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until most of the lumps are removed.
2. Pour batter into a 2-inch-deep baking pan and bake about 25 minutes or until the interior of the cornbread reaches 200°F. Remove cornbread from the oven and let cool. Scrape the cooled cornbread from the pan and crumble it into a large bowl.
3. Heat the canola oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. SautÈ the celery and onion with the poultry seasoning and sage until the vegetables become translucent.
4. Add vegetables to the crumbled cornbread and mix well. Add reserved turkey stock if the mixture is too dry. Transfer dressing to a baking dish and bake 20 to 30 minutes until heated through.
